Michel Barnier -- image via X
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far left La France Insoumise (LFI) party and the French Communist Party (PCF) are condemning the attempt by French President Emmanuel Macron to bypass the recent parliamentary election results in the country -- results of a snap election that he himself called -- by appointing right-wing politician Michel Barnier as prime minister.
In the elections on July 7 the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP), the left coalition of which the LFI and PCF are a part, won a plurality seats with 32.6%, Macron's Ensemble coalition of centrists getting 27.9%, and the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) winning 24.6%. This was widely seen as a major upset victory against the far right RN who many expected to win the most seats.
The party of which Barnier is a part, Les Républicains (LR) got only 8.3% of the vote and were not a part of the effort to block the far right. In fact, it seems that Macron will now depend on RN leader Marine Le Pen's backing to get his PM approved in parliament.
Mélenchon declared the "election has been stolen," after Barnier's appointment was announced. "It's not the Nouveau Front Populaire, which came out on top in the [legislative] elections, that will have the prime minister and the responsibility of standing before the deputies". He is further calling for Macon's impeachment, a move that is regarded as having little chance of success.
Les Écologistes, France's green party and also a member of the NFP said Macron "obsessed with the preservation of his neoliberal record" and was, ironically turning to the far right for support after having been a part of the "republican blockade" that saw Macron's coalition and the NFP cooperate in the final round of voting.
"By appointing Mr. Barnier, who did not call for a republican blockade and whose positions on immigration resonate with those of the RN...Emmanuel Macron is turning his back on the millions of citizens who have created a historic republican blockade in France," the party said in a statement.
The PCF also denounced the move with Fabien Roussel, National Secretary of the party saying:
Until the end, the President of the Republic sought, by all means, to circumvent the result of the ballot box.
By appointing Michel Barnier, former minister under Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commissioner who promoted neoliberal dogmas, the President of the Republic has chosen continuity in the policies implemented over the past 7 years.
The President's objective is clear: the construction of a coalition with the deputies of his defeated camp with the complicity of the National Rally to support the policies carried out.
The LFI, PCF and others are now calling for mass demonstrations on September 7 against Macron's "coup":
The New Popular Front won the legislative elections. Macron refuses to acknowledge this result. Respect for the vote is a fundamental principle of democracy. Let's put an end to this authoritarian drift!
Let us mobilize everywhere to force the President to respect the people's choice for:
- the minimum wage at 1600 euros
- price freezes
- retirement at 60
- anti-racism
- free schooling
- recognition of the State of Palestine
and the entire program of the New Popular Front.
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